Private The Walk of Wisdom

[Caden Evesa]

The sky above him was bright blue.

The young Jedi Padawan hadn't been back on Commenor long, maybe forty eight hours tops. He didn't remember much after they had returned, he had fallen fast asleep pretty soon after the group had arrived home from The Garden of Qadesh. When he had awoken a few hours later, his master ( Okkeus Dainlei ) had wanted a full run down of what had happened.

The next few hours he had spent eating and meditating in the force. Meditation, as he had been taught, was an important tool in relaxing after a mission or a task. It allowed a Jedi to focus on the living force and find themselves overcome with calm and relaxing feelings. It allowed a Jedi to truly process what they had been through.

The rest of his time had been spent catching up with his studies and sleeping once again. He had been away from Kashyyyk for a while now and he dreaded to think how far behind he was. It wasn't like he wanted to be behind on the studies, he just kept getting called to this place or that place or other places. He just didn't have time for class.

He was actually pretty thankful that most of his training was now in the hands of Okkeus. Okkeus preferred to learn on the field than in a classroom and honestly, Caden was starting to respect that. He had always thought of himself as a classroom learner and he was starting to realize that perhaps that wasn't the case at all.

He had left the Commenor Jedi Temple after sleeping.

He had risen quite early and showered. After breakfast, he decided it was time to go. He had been a part of the Mission to The Garden of Qadesh, the adventure that had taken him off world and had introduced him to a new friend. It was that new friend that had requested to meet him, and since he had a morning off he figured it would be the best time to go get a cup of caf.

The place that Caden had picked to meet was local enough, a short walk from the temple. He wasn't entirely sure how well Mathieu Brion knew the city, but he hoped that the Jedi Padawan knew it better than he did. Caden had already admitted he hadn't spent enough time on Commenor to be familiar with it's layout.

He looked around slowly as he waited for his friend to show.

He had dressed simply, his Jedi Robes clean and presentable. On his wrist was his Chase Spymaster, the only watch the young boy owned. He had pocketed his Theia Glasses, but had brought them along anyway. He was finding himself relying on the technological glasses more and more. They were certainly useful. He hadn't brought his lightsaber, or his droid. They wouldn't be needed for a caf with a friend.

And so he crossed his arms, and waited for the Jedi to show.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

It was a promising day. Having spent some time recovering from the last journey, Mathieu had mostly made use of the library, trying to learn as much as possible. It was not long until he was going to head back to Kashyyyk and whilst having the opportunity to explore Commenor, the Morellian knew that it would be wise to make the most of it. It was a tough balance to keep, deciding whether to access the literature exclusively available here, explore the temple or perhaps the city. In the end, he had found an excellent opportunity to do the last of the three options - at least for the morning.

Having met his fellow Padawan Caden Evesa whom he got along with reasonably well, Mathieu had decided to ask for a bit of his time. Being part of the Silver Jedi Order was all new to him and since he had joined relatively late in comparison to many of the younger Padawans, all advice and tips that could be given would also be - not only welcomed, but desired. While this might have been the main goal for seeking Caden out, the pleasant company was also something which was desired. Making a friend or two would probably be one of the best things he could achieve in this setting which was still very new to him.

Both tall and broad shouldered, it was often most challenging for the former Mercenary to hide from plain sight. This time, however, he was almost entirely hidden from the chest and up, slowly walking through the open area with a big tourist map fully unfolded in front of him. He had spent a fair amount of time studying maps throughout the years and hoped that what information he gathered now would suffice for the day. After having stumbled into a bench once and almost stepped into a fountain, he decided that practicing his capabilities in force sense would have to be reserved for another day.

Mathieu folded the map into a neat square. His lips formed a brief smile as he was rather satisfied about having made the right calls as to where to fold in order to get it back to its original size. Finding the minor victories in life was something which he had come to appreciate during his time as a Mercenary. Extending an arm, he waved at the younger Padawan and let out a lighthearted "Hey" As if caught with the hand in the cookie jar, he looked around at the people surrounding them - it was still rather early and the area was far from crowded, making his greeting rather easy for the others to pick up. With a chuckle, the Padawan approached his mate "Coffee" he stated, apparently not all too tired himself.

Pointing his arm in the direction they were heading to, Mathieu soon started the trek "This place is big. If a burglar ever makes their way in here, chances are that they'll get lost before finding something worthy of stealing" he joked before continuing on a fresh note "How have you been?" It was obvious that they had had a similar pattern of thought when getting dressed, seeing as both wore their robes and were quite unarmed. The former Mercenary had always been used to being able to bring his weapons - but this time, he had left everything in his locker, knowing that he would not be looking for trouble and figuring that Commenor was safe enough for someone walking around in robes to not have to worry.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He let his guard drop almost instantly.

He didn't know why he was on edge so much recently. He had been ever since he and Okkeus had returned from Corellia. It had been before that though, it had been since Mygeeto. The time he had spent in the cave at the will of the force had left him on edge.

He saw the figure with the red lightsaber every single night when he slept. He had hoped that Corellia would have given him answers as to who the figure was, but his time on the planet had taught him nothing. It had just left him more and more questions.

Yet, around Mathieu, the guard he had kept up for so long was lowering. The young Jedi may not have known too much about the Jedi and the Force but he was clearly powerful and Caden was sure his new friend would become a Jedi soon enough, a true Jedi.

"Agreed. Luckily the temple is big enough that it can be seen from anywhere in the city. Least the Jedi can always find their way home"

He was still very stuck up in how he spoke, he was noticing that. Okkeus was teaching him to relax though, something that he hoped was noticeable to those spending time around him. He was attempting to relax, something he really needed to do.

"I've been okay, all things considered"

He answered the man, looking around. All things considered, it was a phrase he had been using a while. It just seemed to apply. The galaxy was tearing itself apart, The Silver Jedi were at war with the Bryn and The Sith, a war on two fronts. He himself was dealing with the voice of his dead mother tormenting him and the mysterious figure from the cave attacking his dreams.

But yeah, all things considered he was okay. He wasn't dead, he was actually relatively healthy. He had a master with whom he had a good relationship with and he had slept well for the first time in a few days. He was finally on the path to becoming a Jedi Knight, and he was making some good friends.

He watched as Mathieu took off.

Caden walked besides the boy, having to move faster than usual to equate for the size difference between the two. While Mathieu was taller and more well built, Caden was smaller and faster. There was probably a foot between them, if not more.

"So, how can I help you? You said you wanted to learn more about the Order?"

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The way in which Caden spoke could be seen as stuck up - but Mathieu took it with a laugh, finding the humour in what was said. "I sure hope they'll be able to find the temple when they're experienced and gifted enough to have become Knights and Masters" he said with a jovial voice before letting out a silent chuckle "I'll probably have to eat those words at some point" It was a reasonable assumption, for even he who was used to memorizing the layouts of battlefields, could find himself getting lost in sprawling cities at times.

With an approving nod, the former Mercenary let out a solid "Good" Standing in silence for a few moments, waiting to get the question back without results, he eventually decided to answer the question himself - regardless of if it had been asked or not. "Me too!" he said cheerfully, looking to his fellow Padawan. Caden seemed to be in a rather thoughtful state of mind, causing Mathieu become curious about what he could possibly be thinking of - in a way, he was prejudiced in believing that people who needed coffee to get their day started tended to be rather blank before they got their shot of caffeine to start them off.

As they walked, Mathieu threw an eye on his companion, noticing how he seemed to keep a rather high pace. For a few moments, the large Morellian contemplated whether his mate wanted to go faster or not. It was only then that it dawned on him that the high paced footwork may be because of his shorter length at which point he tried to slow the walk down. While hoping to avoid making it too noticeable, he also wanted to ensure that their pace would remain bearable for all involved parties - Caden in particular.

They had not got very far, only just having left the temple area and entered into the streets of the city when Caden asked the question. What did he want to learn? There was so much which he could ask about and his answer reflected that sentiment perfectly "Well, everything. Anything. Something" he said, letting out a short chuckle at his own answer before turning a little more serious "You know, what instructors to seek out at the temple, which ones to avoid. Where the best seats are in that cellar classroom in the eastern wing." It was a list which came from the top of his mind, all things which he had considered during his time on Kashyyyk. Naturally, he was also curious about the force and lightsabres, having idolsed the Jedi as a boy, it was only natural for him to be even more interested in their most iconic elements now that he was part of the Order. But then, he could only take one step at a time, and for now, the questions he had asked were the most relevant.

Soon, they started to make their way a little deeper into the city. The morning rush had not yet started, but street stands and boutiques were just about to open up and the roads were getting more heavily trafficked by the minute. Going off of memory from having studied the map, not taken other considerations into mind, such as ease of travel, sightseeing or safety, Mathieu soon pointed them over towards one of the more troubled neighbourhoods which they could pass through to get to the cafe the quickest. There were fewer people in the area and it seemed to be more residential than commercial, but the air was fresh, the birds were chirping and kids could be heard screaming from a distance - the normal sounds which could be heard in residential areas that were about to wake up from the night's slumber.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He listened to the Jedi as he spoke.

Caden had to let out a small chuckle, they were all questions that he himself had once had. Unfortunately, he had to learn the answers the hard way, by crossing the wrong Masters in the temple and by choosing the wrong seats. If he could give the Jedi some pointers, he would.

The Jedi Padawan had expected questions about the force and the Jedi in general, so he was oddly surprised that the questions were so mundane. He had expected to have to retrace all his training to answer the questions that the big guy posed, yet he was surprised he didn't have to after all.

"Try and avoid the front row, they tend to get picked on more. Those on the front row tend to get pushed to their limits, it's an overall awful experience and I'd suggest not going through it. Plus the master who owns that class tends to be horrible to students at times."

He was answering the boys questions as he realized just how deep into the city they had gotten. He wasn't sure on the city layout, so when Mathieu suggested a cut through Caden was bound to trust him. He didn't know any better, so he assumed that the Jedi Padawan did.

He followed the big guy into the neighborhood. It was a part of the city he had never been into, and Caden had to assume that Mathieu knew his way through it. He didn't trust the neighborhood though, the force was giving him an uneasy feeling that he couldn't shake.

The sounds of the city coming alive could be heard. He heard children somewhere in the distance, and their seemed to be more people about. He assumed they had entered a residential zone considering the amount of people entering buildings and heading the same direction as them.

It still wasn't as busy as the rest of the city. He had to admit that. He just couldn't shake the feeling of unease that he was currently feeling. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen and he had learnt to trust in the force.

"You sure about this? I certainly don't like it, something just doesn't feel right"

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

A smile grew on the new padawan's lips as the first piece of valuable information was received. 'Avoid the front rows' letting out a brief chuckle as he thought back to his time in school back on Morellia. The strategies were just the same with the Jedi as they were back then it seemed - but there was one main difference. With the Jedi, he was eager, perhaps even excited to learn and that could not be said for the studies on his home planet. Doing things in practice always seemed like the best way of learning to him so for now the hope now was that he wouldn't fall into the same patterns of disinterest as he had before.

"If nothing else, we'll be well prepared to crawl through damp basements after this. Who could possibly compete with fear that Master Dorriken instills in the students?" he joked, namedropping the only instructor who used to classroom that he could remember. Leaning over slightly, he let out a short "You know" with a slightly mischievous look "Back in school, they usually didn't pick the most active students, so I always used to wave my hand about when they asked something. Worked wonders.." he said, but trailed off towards the end. A few moments passed before he admitted "..until they had me figured out. But hey, immunity for a month or two is still better than nothing, right?" He spoke with a bright tone, apparently being rather fond of his memories of school, despite not having enjoyed the studies themselves.

Soon, the duo entered a more narrow street that lowered their elevation by a few meters. A few shops which had yet to open stood by the sides - some seemed to sell mats, other dried medicinal ingredients and some focusing on scrap metals. A few shops were closed off completely - most likely either to keep the more valuable goods safe or perhaps to keep edible products fresh.

The large Morellian did feel somewhat uneasy in the street - it was darker than the rest of the area as the rain protection in the form of metal plates blocked much of the sunlight and the emerging morning buzz wasn't quite as present there as it was elsewhere. Still, having seen plenty of danger during his past as a Mercenary, Mathieu brushed the feeling away and simply figured that he would have to keep an extra eye out for trouble. Laughing gently but heartily upon hearing Caden's question, Mathieu replied with a simple "No" before assuming a more serious demeanour "I think we should be there if we continue along this road for like, uh, 5 to 10 minutes"

The other padawan was right. Soon enough, two hooded figures appeared from behind one of the stalls, both seemingly unarmed - but who knew what they could be carrying under those layers of clothing. Quickly slowing his pace, Mathieu would reach out with his hand to slow his mate down too if he didn't do it himself. "Alright, you know the drill. Wallets, holopads, comms, the necklace your grannie gave you, It's ours" one of the figures spoke, making it very clear what they were about. Throwing a glance behind him, Mathieu spotted two more figures. Bringing his arms together, he discretely activated a strength enhancing stim through his hidden device

Weighing their options for a bit, and letting out a surprisingly stable "Let us leave" he eventually looked down to Caden and threw a backwards glance before letting out an urgent "Run!" With that, he took off, using his already powerful frame along with its enhanced strength to push the two foes who stood behind them aside, clearing them a path to escape by.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He walked directly into the hand of his friend.

He wasn't overly paying attention to where he was going, more focusing on the conversation that he was having with his friend. He was mostly listening to the stories of his friends schooling and the stories of how he used to pretend to be interested to get out of being picked on.

He had vaguely noticed when they entered the narrow street. He had vaguely noted that some of the shops had yet to open. He had vaguely noted everything, yet he was still too interested in the stories from his friend than where he was going.

He almost had to laugh when the man said he wasn't entirely sure about the neighborhood. The force continued to tell him that something was wrong, that something wasn't right but the big man kept him at ease fairly well. The serious demeanor change however was slightly concerning though.

He walked directly into the hand of his friend.

The two hooded figures had come out directly in front of them. It was a very standard mugging, as far as Caden was aware. He had never been mugged, in reality he didn't know what a mugging was supposed to be like. For all he knew, this was an incredibly polite mugging.

He heard Mathieu shout. He felt his legs move as he began to run, took off at the fastest pace he could manage. He didn't know if the muggers were armed or not, but Caden knew that he wasn't and that was enough for him to want to take off and run, get away.

He didn't know how far he'd been running before he hit the floor.

Two more men stood over him. He hadn't gotten very far before backup had arrived and intercepted his running. He assumed the other two would be dealing with the big man. Caden didn't know what the two had hit him with, but he knew it had come sharp.

He attempted to get to his feet, and he felt something hit him again. It came sharp across his back, luckily mostly deflected by his armored robes. He didn't know what he was being hit by, but he knew he didn't like it and he wanted it to stop.

He hoped the big man was okay.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Running was an area in which Mathieu was competetive. This was, naturally, in large part thanks to his long legs. Still, he made sure to throw a glance to his younger fellow Padawan from time to time, having no intentions of leaving him behind. It was lucky that it was only glances that the former Mercenary sent back as two more figures soon emerged just as suddenly as the others with the one at the front on an interceptory course to tackle the large Morellian whilst the one behind held a knife raised high in the air.

Both having a rather impressive physique to begin with as well as being bolstered by his stim, Mathieu was more than capable of withstanding the tackle. But that would not be quite so necessary as he stopped right in his tracks right before the collision would happen, causing the man to rush into the spot where he would have been if he had not stopped. Taking the chance, the Padawan pushed the man on with one hand on his back and the other on his behind. While the assailant was sent into a wall at a high speed - promptly knocking him out - victory could hardly be called as the one with the knife now lunged at his robed foe. Already having spent his momentum dealing with the first assailant, there was not much more that Mathieu could do than to try to keep it up, by quickly turning to take a step in the direction of where the first guy had been sent into a wall. While it saved him from being stabbed, a painful slash could be felt by his back, tearing up the fabric of his robe and causing a long wound where the knife had been.

Swirling around, Mathieu glanced over Caden's situation before setting his gaze on the opponent who had just got a hit in on him. The situation was bad. Very bad. Two new foes had apparently caught his friend and were now assaulting him whilst the four original ones were soon going to catch up - each pair having one person wielding a knife.

How they were going to get out of this was unclear but simply running away from the guy he stood by now was not an option. Taking a brief moment, the new padawan tried to enhance his speed - just like he had been taught by the Soller Navah - but with his limited experience and competence with the force, it quickly became abundantly apparent that he couldn't command it at will. Choosing to rely on his own capabilities instead, he ignored his challenger for the moment and rushed over towards Caden. His assailant's were no fools, however and while the unarmed one threw himself at the younger padawan, the one armed with a knife turned to face the charging Morellian.

Fortunately, both foes stood behind Caden in relation to where Mathieu was coming from - exploiting that, he stopped right before the armed one could reach him but since the other guy moved forth when he threw himself down at Caden, Mathieu could send a powerful kick at him, causing him to roll off of his friend. Their situation was still rather dire, however, as the one behind Mathieu was just about to lunge at him again, the armed one next to cade was also looking to attack and just about to arrive were four more foes, putting the two Padawans in quite the conundrum.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

Everything hurt.

Every single breath was painful. He assumed that some ribs had been broken by the weapons he had been hit with. He wasn't even sure what weapons they were, he just knew that they hurt. He was just well aware that every hit was sore, and every shot hurt.

Mathieu had come to the rescue, thank god.

Mathieu had gotten the attackers away from him, giving him the chance to crawl away. There was an attacker next to him attempting to attack with a knife, but Caden managed to kick him away at the final second. He was having serious issues, he didn't even want to know about his friend.

He managed to climb to his feet, leaning against a wall to keep him upright. It allowed him to assess the true situation, four men ganging up on Mathieu and the rest approaching him with speed. He had very little time to process the next few moves, but he had to just trust his instinct.

"Mathieu! Hold on to something!"

It was a helpless shout, Caden could hardly talk through the pain, but he hoped his friend heard him. He closed his eyes, hand outstretched. He was calling the force to his will, the bubble of force powers around him extending from his core, pushing away anything inside it.

It was one of the strongest force pushes he had ever managed to create, caused by the stress and fear of the situation. He didn't even had time to look at the damage his push had caused, the pain overwhelming him to the point he just fell to the floor and was just short of passing out.

Every part of him hurt.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

A normal jab was fine. A slash hurt like heck, but as long as it didn't cross over something soft and vital, it also tended to be survivable. But a stab. A stab was far more deadly. The small blade of a knife had a tendency to slip past the protective bones of the rib cage and could punctuate or otherwise damage organs which really shouldn't be poked at.

Whether it be pure luck or the will of the force, Mathieu finally managed to come in tune with the force, speeding up the pace in which he moved and reacted, the former Mercenary narrowly managed to turn around and grab the wrist of the man lunging at him from behind. A hard squeeze and an uncomfortable angle for the caught robber ensued, causing him to drop his weapon whilst whining in pain.

Through the corner of his eye, Mathieu saw how his friend wasn't running, but just barely managing to slip away from further assaults. And this was only a momentary respite for the younger Jedi. At this moment, the Morellian was at a loss on what to do but ended up pushing the one guy he had managed to catch onto the three that were approaching him. It was a tricky situation, seeing as knives were best avoided rather than absorbed whilst Mathieu was of the opposite nature.

He eagerly followed Caden's instructions and grabbed on to a semi-pillar structure that went up along the wall. What followed was a force push more powerful than anything Mathieu had ever managed to create, blowing their foes off of their feet. Quickly rushing to his ally, Mathieu glanced over the body and noted how badly beaten it was. "We need to bring you back to the temple. Hold on mate" he said before - as gently as he could - throwing the other Padawan over his shoulder. Mathieu, being a few years older, a few sizes larger and fueled by both the stim and the force would then proceed to make his way back towards the Temple, doing his best to avoid making the journey too bumpy for his injured friend.

If nothing stopped them, the former Mercenary would bring them all the way back to the healers. At this point, running seemed like the better option - the risks of staying were far too high.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

It was common knowledge that knives hurt.

It was very common knowledge that being stabbed was something worth avoiding, it tended to cause internal damage and bleeding. Knives with serrated edges were worse, they tended to mash the flesh up around the wound as well as damage the internals of a body.

The duo weren't being followed, the gang too stunned to follow them. Caden had put an extremely high amount of energy into the force push, burning himself out in the process. He was barely conscious over the shoulder of his friend, muttering nothingness into his shoulder.

Every bit of him hurt.

The muggers had vanished behind them, and they were nearly out of the rough neighborhood. Caden may not have known it, but he was close to being free. He was close to being safe, so they could report the situation to the authorities and get everything cleaned up.

Caden was vaguely in and out of consciousness, plagued by the voices in his mind, the voices of the force. His mother taunting him, well the voice of his mother through the force anyway. He was used to it, it happened every single night.

The mugger was hiding around the corner.

He was the last of the muggers from previously, mugger boss extraordinaire. The knife he held was small enough that it wasn't really visible until it was launched out towards Mathieu. Caden would have warned him about it if he was conscious.

He had no idea what was going on.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

It was fortunate that Caden had been able to summon such a powerful push. The muggers could no longer be seen when Mathieu threw backwards glances and while he could run at a healthy pace, even with a heavy load, outpacing them to the point where they could no longer be seen was simply not realistic.

"We'll get you to safety" he said, with a slightly lower voice than normal as he focused on keeping his breath. In truth, it was not all too clear whether he was trying to encourage himself or comfort his friend who was muttering something unintelligible. While the foes they had just been struggling with were far behind by now, something still felt off - but then, there was a certain possibility that they were still in pursuit. Regardless, the former Mercenary would soon grow quiet as more and more energy had to be devoted to running.

That was the moment when the mugger boss extraordinaire chose to strike. With one arm wrapped around Caden's body and coming at too high of a pace to make any sudden stops without falling over, Mathieu was hard pressed on what to do. He really needed to improve on his sense and precognition capabilities - which were actually two of the areas where he had devoted the most time practicing. Clearly, there was still much left to learn. Doing what he could, the Padawan slowed his pace whilst reaching forth the grab the attacker's arm. It did not go quite as he had hoped and while he could avoid getting stabbed, he was instead slashed by the side as the robber's arm was diverted in that direction. Deciding to go on the offence, Mathieu quickly increased his speed when the knife was far out to the side and consequently bumped into the boss with quite a bit of force.

The assailant had been knocked to the ground and was letting out a pained moan which was matched by the pained gasp which Mathieu let out as he stood over the man. Taking a few steps towards the robber, he bent down and picked up the knife before getting back up to his feet. It was a painful process with his new wound but ultimately, overcomeable. If anything more were to happen, the new Padawan would either need help or a miracle, but with a bloodied knife and robe along with an injured Caden thrown over his shoulder, he slowly pushed on towards the temple. Chances were that there might still be some opportunistic scum lying in wait somewhere, but hopefully, they would have got the message by now. "Just hold on, we'll get there"

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He hadn't got any idea what was going on.

He felt jostled and thrown around. He wished he was able to stand alone, but he knew his body wouldn't be able to take it. He grunted into the shoulder of his friend, trying his hardest to keep the grasp on consciousness when he had it. He liked consciousness.

He wasn't sure how the fight had gone, he wasn't sure how any of it had gone. He vaguely heard Mathieu telling him that they'd get there and Caden seriously hoped it would happen soon. He was fed up of hurting, he wanted someone to heal him and the broken ribs he was feeling.

Then everything went black.

He wasn't sure how long had passed before he had woken up.

As he would later be told, two Jedi Knights had found Matheiu bleeding out with Caden over his shoulder. As he would later be told, both Jedi Knights had assisted carrying Caden to the temple and had then gone out with local police to find the muggers.

Caden had woken up in a hospital bed a few hours after the events. He was aching and exhausted, but most of his pain had gone. He had a doctor above him, checking some notes. It was that doctor who filled him on the situation. He felt Matheiu close to him, and he wondered how the man had fared.

He looked around, and groaned.

Mathieu Brion